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Lect. 1. Intro to Lt. Theory

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Ayesha bibi Bibi
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13 views

Lect. 1. Intro to Lt. Theory

Uploaded by

Ayesha bibi Bibi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Literary

Theory
Course Code: ENG- 471
Credit Hours: 3(3-0)
Teacher’s Name: Amara Javed
Course Objectives

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the basic


concepts of contemporary literary theory which will help in
obtaining essential knowledge of literary theory and theoretical
perspectives. The course aims to enable students apply principles
and methods of interpretations of literary texts and develop critical
reading skills.
Course Contents
● Structuralism
● Post-Structuralism
● Psychoanalytic Criticism
● Feminism
● Marxist Criticism
● Postmodernism
Lecture 1

● Background and Introduction of Literary


Theory
Recollect and Reflect
Literary Criticism
Mathew Arnold defines literary criticism
as :

● “A disinterested endeavor to learn


and propagate the best that is
known and thought in the world”.
● He argues that literary criticism
attempts to formulate aesthetic and
methodological principles on basis of
which the critic can evaluate a text.
Literary Criticism

● The term “Criticism” is often defined as:


● to find fault with, disapproval, the act of criticizing especially adversely
● Literary Criticism as a course teaches:
○ the act of interpreting, analyzing and evaluating works of art
● Literary criticism examines a particular work or it looks at an
author’s writings as a whole to explore its genre, style or literary
devices.
Literary Criticism
● It investigates literary productions in their matter, form and spirit. As a
result, this analyzes its merits and demerits.
● Literary critics basically question the philosophical, psychological,
functional and descriptive nature of a text.
● It helps us to understand what is important about the text:
❏ Its structure
❏ Its context: social, economic, historical
❏ How the text is manipulated by the reader
Types of Literary Criticism

Literary critics usually use two types of criticism :


➢ Practical criticism
➢ Theoretical criticism
Theoretical criticism :
Theoretical criticism formulates theories, principles and tenets
regarding the nature and value of art

Practical criticism:
Practical criticism or applied criticism then applies the theories and
tenets of theoretical criticism to practical work
Literary Critic
● A literary critic is someone who
argues on behalf of an
interpretation or understanding of
the particular meanings
of literary texts.
● During 17th and 18th centuries, the
critic was considered as judge who
finds faults and merits of a literary
work.
Literary Critic

● A literary critic seeks to reach a logical and reasonable understanding of


not only what a text's author intends for it to mean, but also what
different cultures and ideologies render it capable of meaning.
● The task of a literary critic is to explain and attempt to make a critical
understanding of what literary text means in term of aesthetic as well as
social, political and cultural statements.
● Different ways of reading and
reviewing texts
● Literary theory is a description of
underlying principles and tools by
which we attempt to understand
literature
● In simple terms, it can be
described as
 different perspectives and
angles that scholars use to
evaluate literature
● Literary theory acts as different lenses critics use to view and talk about
art, literature and even culture.
Literary theory

● It develops the significance of race, class and gender for literary studies,
both from the standpoint of the biography of the author and an analysis
of their thematic presence within texts.
● It offers varying approaches for understanding the role of historical
context in interpretation as well as the relevance of linguistic and non-
linguistic elements of a text.
● It refers to any principles derived from internal analysis of literary texts
or from external knowledge to the text that can be applied in multiple
interpretive situations.
Literary Theory

● A well defined, logical theory enables readers to develop a method


whereby they can establish principles that enable them to justify, order
and clarify their own appraisals of a text in a consistent manner.
● If a critic is analysing the text through Marxist theory, he might focus on
how does a character in a story interacts based on his/her economic
situation.
Literary Theory
● If a critic analyses a text through postcolonial theories, he
takes into account how characters from colonial power treat
characters of the third world in a stereotypical way.
● Literary theory does not mean that a text is necessarily
feminist or Marxist etc, rather the text can be read in that way.
● Literary theory questions the assumptions, beliefs and feelings
of readers, asking why they respond to a text in a certain way.

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